Asus ZenBook UX306 announced, but can it improve on the 5-star UX305?

USB Type-C, backlit keys and beefier specs

Shares

It was only a few months ago that we slapped a five-star rating on the Asus ZenBook UX305 and now the company is back with the Asus ZenBook UX306.

But how do you improve on near perfection? Well, the most immediately noticeable changes are the addition of a USB Type-C port and backlit keys, but you can expect beefier specs too, as under the hood you're looking at an Intel Core i5 6200U or Core i7 6500U processor and up to 16GB of RAM, which will hopefully be enough to address our concerns about the graphics capabilities of the UX305.

The ZenBook UX306 is launching with a choice of 256GB or 512GB of solid state storage and has a 13.3-inch anti-glare screen in either 1080 x 1920 or 3200 x 1800 resolution, which is largely in line with the UX305. Hopefully the stereo speakers will be an improvement though, as that machine suffered from rather tinny sound.

Familiar good looks

The stylish aluminum build looks largely similar and at 324 x 226 x 13.9mm and 1.19kg the dimensions and weight aren't much changed either.

Other features include a full USB 3.0 port (for all those accessories that aren't USB-C-ready), 802.11ac Wi-Fi and the promise of up to 12 hours of battery life, plus the company's IceCool technology built in, to prevent the palm rest heating up.

The big remaining questions are what it will cost and when you'll actually be able to buy it, but sadly Asus hasn't answered either of them yet. Hopefully it won't keep us waiting too long.